


Family Resemblance

by MermaidMarie



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Conversations, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 10:39:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MermaidMarie/pseuds/MermaidMarie
Summary: A brief conversation between Wally and Nora. Taking place sometime during Flash 5.01.





	Family Resemblance

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't remember all that much from when Wally was first introduced in the show. I just kinda wanted to write this, so I did, and I didn't go check up on any plot details.  
> I don't do many short pieces, so I hope I did alright. Let me know what you think.

Wally sat down, exhausted. He’d had to search through history looking for the Legends. Usually, they weren’t quite that hard to find—just follow the chaos. But now, just about everything was chaotic, so Wally had wound up in a lot of weird places in history before finally finding them.

And then, just as fast, he had to run back to modern day Central City. He had to try and stop Barry and Nora from time-traveling. He’d gotten there seconds too late. He felt like he was always just seconds too late. Everything in his life, just seconds behind where he should be.

He’d taken refuge in one of the makeshift hospital rooms in S.T.A.R. Labs, leaning back on one of the stiff, uncomfortable beds. He sighed. He’d have to figure out what he wanted eventually. He didn’t know where to start.

Someday. Someday he’d know. Someday his life would make sense to him. He’d finally find a place, a role, an existence that fit around him.

There was a timid knock on the door frame.

Wally leaned up quickly, seeing Nora hovering awkwardly in the doorway. She smiled, and Wally could see how much she looked like Iris.

It was weird, wasn’t it? Meeting your future niece like this. She and Wally were roughly the same age here, but sometime not too far in the future, Wally would meet an infant version of her. And he'd look at that baby girl and know exactly who she'd grow up to be. 

“Hey,” Wally said, trying to sound more friendly than apprehensive. He wanted to like her, to bond with her, but he’d had so many bizarre experiences lately. Sometimes, he just wished something normal would happen. Like meeting your niece when she's a baby. 

“Hi,” Nora said. “I’m sorry, I, uh, I didn’t know if you… Well, if you wanted to be alone, or something. I’ll leave, if you do, I just—well, I kinda wanted to talk to you about something, something personal, but only if you have the time—”

Wally felt the corner of his lip pulling up. He wanted to laugh. Nora’s smile was Iris’, but that rambling, that nervousness, that was all Barry. It was amazing how clear it was.

“Hey, relax,” Wally said, gesturing to one of the chairs. “We can talk. What’s up?”

Nora’s smile grew and she walked over quickly, taking a seat. “You know, at holidays, you always have the _best_ stories. Your life, well, it must be so exciting. Like that one story where—”

“Hey, I might not know some of those stories yet,” Wally replied.

Nora laughed, a little nervously. “Right, of course. Sorry. Timeline stuff.”

“Can’t be too careful.” _Like the Legends were ever careful,_ Wally thought wryly to himself.

Nora nodded. “Of course,” she replied quickly. “Wouldn’t want to mess anything up.”

Wally decided not to bring up how often the Legends did just that. “So what was it you wanted to talk about?”

“I just…” Nora fiddled with her hands. “Listen, we don’t talk much about—in the future, I mean… Well, about you and Grandpa Joe.”

Wally raised an eyebrow. “Me and Grandpa Joe?” he repeated.

Nora nodded, furrowing her brow. “I mean, I know some of it. I know he didn’t find out about you until you were grown up. I know that… Well, that it was tense at first, you know? That you grew up without a Dad, and then had to navigate building a relationship with him once you were already an adult…”

Wally hesitated. He was trying to figure this conversation out. Where was Nora going with this? She was pausing like she wanted him to say something. But Wally didn’t know what to say. He just let the silence hang there for a moment.

Nora cleared her throat. “I guess I just, uh… I just wanted to ask what that was like. You know, getting to know your dad for the first time as an adult. Must’ve been… Strange, right? How did you…”

Wally frowned. That had been a while ago. He and Joe had more or less moved beyond all those issues. Water under the bridge and all that. “I guess… I guess it was weird. At first.” Wally rubbed the back of his neck. He felt a little guilty, still. “I mean, he wanted to be a dad to me, but… I kinda felt like it was too late.”

“Too late?” Nora repeated. She looked disappointed. Wally wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Well, I mean…” Wally paused, thinking. “It was like… He was trying to make up for lost time. But I didn’t want a dad. Or I didn’t think I did.”

“Why didn’t you?” Nora asked. “Why weren’t you just happy to find him?”

Wally sighed. “I guess I was kind of mad at him. I know it wasn’t his fault, but… I still grew up without a dad. Yeah, he didn’t know about me, but that didn’t _fix_ anything. It didn’t change what had already happened.” Wally glanced at Nora, studying her expression. He wasn’t sure how she felt, or why she was asking. “The fact of the matter was that I grew up with a single mom who… Let’s just say I had to grow up fast. And Joe wasn’t there, and no matter what he did after he found out about me, he couldn’t change that.”

Wally almost said _you can’t change the past._ He let out a short chuckle. It was an instinct to say that kind of thing, but he knew now how wrong it was. Still… it’s true in a way. You couldn’t really change _your_ past. Not without fundamentally changing who you were.

Wally had regrets in life, and there were things about his childhood he wished he didn’t have to go through, but if given the chance… He wouldn’t actually try to change it. His life with his mom hadn’t been perfect, but it had been _his_ life. And he wouldn't trade it. 

Nora looked at the ground. “Has he made up for it now? Or, uh, like… Is it better now?”

Wally smiled. He loved Joe, he did. And he loved Iris, and he loved Barry. He was glad they were all in his life. He would never change that. But…

“I don’t know, Nora,” Wally replied. He kept his voice low. He didn’t want anyone else to overhear. He was trying to be as honest with her as possible. “You know, we’ve built a great relationship. Joe, Iris, Barry… They’re my family. But it’s not like my childhood didn’t happen. And it’s not like all the damage just went away.”

Nora nodded. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground. She seemed to understand.

Wally frowned. She seemed to understand too well.

“Nora?” he said tentatively.

“Hmm?” she replied, looking up quickly. Her wide-eyed, startled look… all Barry.

“Why are you asking?”

She cleared her throat, straightening up. “No reason,” she said with a quick smile. “No reason at all.”

Wally raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Nora shot him an indignant look, and Wally almost laughed. Now _that_ was all Iris.

“Nora, come on,” Wally said. “What is it?”

Nora glanced towards the door. She seemed a little sad. Maybe a little lost. Wally could hear the voices of the rest of the team in the other room. They’d probably have to get back in there soon. Maybe Nora was just going to avoid the question.

“Did you ever ask future me these questions?” Wally asked.

Nora kept her eyes on the door. She shook her head. “No, I never… Well, I didn’t want to…” She stopped. “It’s not important.”

Wally looked at the door. He knew she was lying. Clearly, it _was_ important. Deeply, fundamentally important.

It didn’t take long. Wally had a lingering feeling that something was wrong this whole conversation. He’d felt like there was something he was missing, some key element to this. And now, he knew. He knew exactly what it was.

He kept his eyes on the door. The feeling that something was wrong didn’t go away. 

Suddenly, he didn’t want Nora to answer his question anymore. He didn’t want to hear it out loud. What was going to happen. Or rather, to her, what had already happened.

"Hey," Wally said. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“Thanks,” Nora replied softly.

“Growing up without a dad sucked,” Wally admitted. “But having Joe around now… I’m just glad I got him at all, in the end.”

Wally glanced at Nora. Their eyes met, and Wally could sense everything they had in common. His niece. For a moment, he found himself thinking that he couldn’t wait to meet her.

She smiled at him, and it still looked like Iris, but to Wally… Well, it looked a little like his own smile, too.


End file.
